Conventionally, a compact motor apparatus having a deceleration mechanism capable of obtaining a high output is used as a drive source of a power window system or the like to be mounted on a vehicle such as automotive vehicle. The motor apparatus is configured to rotate an output shaft in a forward direction or a backward direction by operation of an operation switch so as to open and close an opening and closing member such as a window glass.
For example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-254676 (FIGS. 1 and 2) has been known as such a motor apparatus provided with the deceleration mechanism. A motor apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-254676 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is provided with a motor portion and a gear portion in which an armature shaft (rotation shaft) is rotatably accommodated inside a yoke (housing) forming the motor portion, and a worm and a worm wheel, which form a deceleration mechanism, are rotatably accommodated inside a gear case (housing) forming the gear portion.
In addition, a connector holding portion is formed on the yoke side of the gear case, and a connector unit (connector member) to which a drive current is supplied from an external connector is arranged inside the connector holding portion. The connector unit is provided with a connector connection portion to which the external connector is connected, and the connector connection portion is exposed to outside of the connector holding portion. Furthermore, a direction of an opening side of the connector connection portion, that is, a direction of a side to which the external connector is connected is directed to a proximal end side in an axial direction of an output shaft.
Meanwhile, the above-described motor apparatus needs to be arranged inside a door such that the motor portion is directed to a front side of a vehicle (arrangement need A), or needs to be arranged inside the door such that the gear portion is directed to the front side of the vehicle (arrangement need B), depending on a vehicle body manufacturer or the like. In this manner, in a case where the motor apparatus is arranged inside the door, the external connector is drawn out from the front side (a periphery of a hinge portion of the door or the like) of the vehicle, and thus, it is desirable that an opening side of the connector connection portion of the motor apparatus be directed to the front side of the vehicle regardless of the arrangement needs A and B as described above.
Thus, in the above motor apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-254676 (FIGS. 1 and 2), there is a need to prepare a plurality of the connector members in which directions of the opening side of the connector connection portions are different from one another, in order to respond the arrangement needs A and B as described above. That is, there may occur a problem in that a manufacturing process of the motor apparatus becomes complicated, or a manufacturing cost of the motor apparatus increases.
An object of the present invention is to provide a motor apparatus improved to cope with various arrangement needs using one connector member.